Extensive compressor reviews and FAQ
Here is a comparison between the top four pedals I recommend for most people:
| Name: | Pros: | Cons: |
| Demeter Compulator | •small •decent peak limiting •easy to use •warm tone •smooth action •great lows •good sustain | •soft note attack •not versatile •needs center-positive 1/8" power adapter •prone to distortion from very high output instruments •not as quiet as a good rack unit |
| EBS MultiComp | •small •normal Boss-type power plug •versatile: can do either very clean or tubey-warm tones •articulate note attack •least expensive of these four | •not great at peak limiting •internal trim pots can be a frustrating hassle •not as quiet as a good rack unit •prone to becoming noisy after a few years of use •prone to distortion from very high output instruments |
| Maxon CP9Pro+ | •normal Boss-type power plug •very good peak limiting •high headroom (low distortion) •articulate note attack •very clean tone •really good threshold control range | •no warm/fat tones, just clean •not as quiet as a good rack unit |
| FEA SMX | •normal Boss-type power plug •decent peak limiting •really good threshold control range •useful ratio range •articulate note attack •super clean, clear, articulate tone •versatile •very low noise | •higher price than the others •not as small as the others •more knobs may confuse some people •no warm/fat tones, just clean •not as deep and full sounding in the lows as the Demeter |
None of these units have an "attack" control, and in the cases of the Demeter, EBS, and Maxon I really wish they did. The FEA has the best general-purpose fixed attack time, and of course the "limiter" version they make has attack controls. I'm not saying these are the best pedals above all, because there are others with features and tone that may be "better", more comprehensive, or more exciting. These four are just the ones which do the best job of balancing really good general-purpose functionality with being fairly easy to use.
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